On the March 6 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre to regain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Now that he has punched his ticket for WrestleMania 42, Rhodes may compete yet again inside the squared circle against the talent on SmackDown before the company heads to Las Vegas.
From going one-on-one with different stars on the WWE roster to teaming with his Mania opponent in Randy Orton, there are some interesting bouts that could take place on the road to ‘The Show of Shows.’
Here are six potential matches for Cody Rhodes before WWE WrestleMania 42.
6. Cody Rhodes vs. Trick Williams
Before officially signing with Friday Night SmackDown, Trick Williams confronted Cody Rhodes, showing that the former two-time NXT Champion was not willing to back down to anyone.
On the January 2 episode of SmackDown, Williams officially joined the blue brand and has since become one of the most popular stars in all of WWE.
While Trick has stepped in the ring with the likes of Sami Zayn, Randy Orton and Damian Priest since his main roster call-up, he has not faced off one-on-one with Rhodes as of yet.
Williams facing Rhodes would be a nice glimpse into a potential future main event that could set the stage for Trick to launch into the stratosphere in a significant way.
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5. Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs. The MFTs (Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga)
At WWE Elimination Chamber 2026, Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and LA Knight to win the men’s Elimination Chamber and become the number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.
To get the victory, Orton took advantage of interference from Drew McIntyre, who cost Rhodes his chance to go to Mania.
However, Nick Aldis announced a rematch between Rhodes and McIntyre that saw Cody becoming a three-time WWE Champion and now has him moving on to ‘The Showcase of the Immortals.’
On the road to WrestleMania, Rhodes and Orton could team together to play off this friction due to how the Chamber ended against the current WWE Tag Team Champions The MFTs on an episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
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4. Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu
Back at the January 24 episode of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu were scheduled to go one-on-one, but this bout never got started with a massive brawl breaking out that went all over the arena.
The animosity between Rhodes and Fatu has been palpable ever since ‘The Samoan Werewolf’ made his return on the January 9 edition of SmackDown to inadvertently cost Cody the Undisputed WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre.
After both men played a role in McIntyre losing the gold on the March 6 episode, it would make sense if Rhodes and Fatu go one-on-one in the coming weeks.
Ahead of WrestleMania 42, a showdown between Fatu and Rhodes would be very intriguing and might alter the road to ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All’ in a major way.
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3. Cody Rhodes vs. Aleister Black
Over the past few weeks, fans have seen Aleister Black play a dark angel on the shoulder of different stars on the WWE roster.
Whether it be Randy Orton or Sami Zayn, Black has shown up backstage and played mind games with some popular names.
The former NXT Champion has even picked up a huge win over Orton prior to his Elimination Chamber victory.
Black facing and potentially beating Cody Rhodes would be the next step in establishing him as a main event talent on the Friday Night SmackDown roster.
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2. Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre & Aleister Black
The dynamic between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton will undoubtedly change as the road to WrestleMania 42 progresses.
WWE has the chance to put this changing friendship front and center by placing Rhodes and Orton in tag team action as partners.
Looking at the Friday Night SmackDown roster, Rhodes has been embroiled in a long term rivalry with McIntyre over the Undisputed WWE Championship, while Orton and Aleister Black have crafted their own story with one another.
Rhodes and Orton facing McIntyre and Black would feel like an enormous tag team main event on SmackDown that could thrust their altered dynamic into the forefront.
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1. Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn
At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Ever since this loss, fans have seen a more frustrated and easily irritable version of Zayn, who has interacted with Cody Rhodes on several occasions.
Calling out ‘The American Nightmare’ for the way he qualified for the men’s Elimination Chamber and got another shot at McIntyre’s WWE Title, Zayn has shown a level of jealousy that hasn’t been seen from him in years.
If Sami turns heel on the road to WrestleMania 42, Zayn could face off with Rhodes and look to beat him, earning his way to a prominent position at ‘The Show of Shows.’
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